I am NOT good at this by any means, so why do I feel like I can write on this? Because I know how important it is and not too many people write about it from a mental health standpoint, at least not that I know of. Sure some may say, "It's good for your mental health." Or they say, "It helps get rid of toxins." But not very many people speak beyond that. Fitness is good for you and your body, because it helps get rid of toxins and it helps release endorphins. Most of you have probably heard this information. People say that there are many different ways to get the same effect. Some of those ways are sex, eating chocolate, get a massage or laugh along with various others. But so many of the other ones aren't exactly God honoring. Sure getting a massage here and there isn't bad, so please don't hear me say it is, because it's not and neither is eating chocolate (Even I do that) and laughing is REALLY good for you and even God honoring.
But none of those things really compares to fitness and what that does for you. I'm not just talking about going to the gym, fitness goes above that. The kind of fitness I'm talking about means eating the right foods, getting enough water AND going to the gym or getting some form of exercise. Again, I still have a LOT of work to do in this department. While this is no excuse, when you have mental illness, particularly Bipolar disorder like I do, you have to be careful with exercise because it can make you manic. I've noticed exercise is a big way for me to become manic, which isn't good for my mental health (If you want more information on Bipolar, go to my "resources" section). But if exercise is done right, it becomes God honoring, it makes you feel better and It helps you become more in shape.
The bible verse that speaks to me most when it comes to fitness is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." Now this scripture is talking about fleeing from sexual immorality. However we can still apply this to exercise and becoming fit. The Holy Spirit dwells in the midst of us and our bodies were bought at a VERY HIGH price. The better we take care of our bodies, the easier it is to do God's mission and do what he has called us to do. I encourage of all you to check out "The Healthy Christian Women" Podcast by Dr. Melody Stevens. Who goes deeper into why Fitness is so important.
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